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Border Wall May Face Resistance on Tribal Land

President Donald Trump's plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border may hit a snag if the Tohono O'odham Nation decides it doesn't want it on its land. While the U.S. government owns the actual border, 2.7 million acres of southern Arizona, with some 75 miles along the border, are sovereign tribal land. (Published Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017)

President Trump's proposed border wall is set to carve a path through the Tohono O’odham Nation — a move which the tribe's Chairman Edward Manuel said would separate members from much needed resources and disrupt the community’s way of life.

The nation, which is about the size of Connecticut, is a federally recognized tribe that has land and members on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border, NBC News reported.

"Walls are made to keep animals in or out, walls cannot contain people," Manuel said. "People are too intelligent. They can always find a way to get over the wall, under the wall or through the wall."

On Thursday Trump tweeted, “The WALL, which is already under construction in the form of new renovation of old and existing fences and walls, will continue to be built.” At a recent rally in Arizona he said, “If we have to close down our government, we’re building that wall.”

House Bill Includes $1.6 Billion for Border Wall

A House panel unveiled a plan to begin building President Donald Trump's proposed border wall Tuesday. The $1.6 billion will be added to the government's almost $20 trillion debt. Trump promised on the campaign trail that Mexico would pay for the wall, but he has not come up with a plan to make that happen.